


Goodbye Glauca

by TheDarkLordMegatron



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Betrayal, Cor Needs A Hug, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, No Beta we die like Kings, There's a minor sex scene at the beginning!, hence the mature rating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-13 06:50:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12978441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkLordMegatron/pseuds/TheDarkLordMegatron
Summary: “Titus?” He breathed in horror, returning Kotetsu to the ether and stumbled closer in an almost trance-like state. It was unmistakably the man he once loved.Cor returns to a still burning Insomnia to locate the bodies of his King and friends, and in doing so discovers the truth behind the city's fall.





	Goodbye Glauca

“Six!” Cor gasped, fingers digging into Titus’ back as the other man attempts to fuck him through the wall. Titus shifts him carefully, freeing his right arm and bracing it up against the wall as he increased the force of his thrusts. Sweet Astrals this man was going to kill him. “Titus” Drautos chuckled and leant in, biting his collarbone. A few more solid thrusts against his prostate later and Cor throws his head back against the wall as he comes, legs tightening around Titus’ waist and nails drawing blood. 

He’s a boneless, quivering mess by the time Titus finally comes. They sink to the floor with all the grace of a train wreck. Cor’s certain that Drautos is going to have some impressive bruises come the evening, not that he’s going to be any different with the way Titus was holding his hips. Neither have the strength or desire to hold themselves up, instead both collapse against one another, Cor held securely in Titus’ lap. He should be absolutely disgusted by the rapidly cooling sweat on their bodies and the various bodily fluids between them, but he is anything but. 

“I love you.” Titus said softly, kissing his ear. Cor takes a deep breath, momentarily tightening his grip on the other man. While he knew Drautos loved him, his actions over the last three years proved as much, there was nothing quite like hearing those three words. Titus pulled back ever so slightly, just enough to look Cor in the eyes, an unreadable expression on his face. He paused for a moment, bringing his left hand up to cup his jaw, thumb brushing over his cheek. “Marry me.”

Startled Cor sat up a little straighter, grimacing as Titus’ cock slipped out of him. “What?” 

“Marry me.” Titus repeated. “Once all of this is over, marry me.” Cor remained silent, instead leaning in to rest of his on Titus’ shoulder and listen to him breathe. He hadn’t expected that. In fact he’d almost assumed that their relationship would never move to anything beyond being a physical one. Titus was not one for affection, especially not public displays of it, hence the reason they’d never done anything bar stand a little closer than usual when in public. Marriage…well there was no greater public display than marrying one another. But he’d be lying if he hadn’t considered what it would be like to be a married man.

“Okay.” He finally replied. Titus gave him a small almost indistinguishable smile.

“I love you.” Titus repeated for a third time, leaning in to kiss him. “Promise me you will be careful today.” 

“When am I not?” Cor shot back with a cheeky grin. A harsh laugh was his only response before Titus had his arms under Cor’s backside and stood up, bringing the Marshal with him. A shower was needed before they could make their way to the Citadel. Just as they were going to need to re-iron their uniforms again in the…he glanced over at the clock on the living room wall, as Titus carried him down the hall, in the thirty minutes they had. Regis would never let him hear the end of this.

-

Cor had seen his fair share of death and destruction in the thirty years he had served the Crown. He’d seem some utterly horrific sights, from the brutal torture and murder of a young solider to the mass murder of entire towns. But nothing could have prepared him for the still burning remains of Insomnia. To see one’s home in various states of destruction, fires still burning and Astrals knows how many bodies littering the streets; he could finally understand how the Galahadian refugees had felt when they’d arrived with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.

Having ensured Prince Noctis and his retinue were safe under the watchful eyes of Monica and the Hunters, he’d made the decision to return to Insomnia and try to locate the bodies of his friends. Still clinging to the hope that anyone, more specifically Titus, had managed to escape or cling onto life somehow. 

Avoiding the Imperial troops had been a challenge. With so few buildings standing, and those that were likely to fall on top of him at any moment, Cor was left with no choice but to pick his way though the rubble and pray he would not be seen. There had been a few close calls but thankfully nothing that compromised his safety. Despite the challenges presented to him, he’d been able to successfully cross Insomnia in just over three hours.

He’d not been prepared for the state of the Citadel.

Crouched behind what remained of a Crownsguard vehicle, he looked upon the place he had called home for close to twenty years. Substantial portions of the once impenetrable building were completely missing, lying in piles of rubble on the ground below. The balcony where Regis and Aulea had stood before the people of Insomnia after their wedding, now blocked the main entrance, a portion of it at the bottom of the stairs. On those same stairs laid the bodies of numerous Imperial troops, Crownsguards and Glaives, a few civilians among them. 

Bowing his head, he whispered a silent prayer to the Astrals for the lives lost, he could do nothing more for them now but there was still the chance he would be able to help someone. With a determination few could match, Cor began cautiously crossing the open courtyard, staying close to anything that would hide him from sight should an Imperial scout come looking. Twice he came across the bodies of men he knew, men who he himself had trained, it was a sombre affair. He made the decision to avoid walking up the large staircase, knowing it would be detrimental to his own health if he should be spotted, and instead focused on going around the side to the one of the destroyed sections. 

Climbing inside he was greeted by yet another grisly view. More bodies littered the halls, though these ones were in far worse states than their companions outside. Some were partially buried beneath rubble, others littered with bullet wounds (He could only hope their deaths had at least been quick and relatively painless.) and far too many with more gruesome injuries that turned even his stomach. He paused by a few seemingly uninjured bodies, hoping to discover a pulse but there was nothing. After the twenty-third attempt he stopped. 

By the time he finally reached the Council chambers his hope was rapidly fading, but there was still a chance. He’d yet to find Clarus, Regis or Titus, and without their bodies he refused to accept they were dead. With a deep breath and the thought of possibly saving a friend he walked inside. Gaius Scientia laid just shy of the doors, his neck twisted to an unnatural angle but otherwise uninjured. Kneeling Cor gently rolled the man onto his back, one head supporting his neck despite the unpleasant feeling of bones shifting beneath his hand. He might not be able to give the Royal Advisor a proper burial, or return his body to his nephew, but he could return his Sigil to Ignis and hope it would bring him some comfort. The small emblem was easily removed from his robes and swiftly tucked away in Cor’s pocket, but it took far more care to remove his cloak and lay it over him, that much he could do.

Certain that Gaius was covered, Cor stood up and looked around the room until his eyes landed on a truly heart wrenching sight. Ten feet to his left, Clarus was pinned to the wall, run through by the very blade he used to protect his King. It had been foolish to hope that the Shield may have outlasted his King, more so when he knew Clarus would have tried to contact him had he still been alive. It did not hurt any less to see his body. Not when the man had been like a brother to him. Distraught, Cor steeled himself and slowly approached the body of one of his dearest friends. For a moment he considered leaving Clarus where he was, too upset to acknowledge his death, but that thought was quickly pushed aside by the shame that accompanied it. Clarus deserved better. 

It took a great deal of strength to support the body whilst attempting to pull the blade from his back. Finally, it slid free, crashing to the ground with a thunderous sound and Clarus fell against him. He grunted softly and readjusted his hold. With as much case as possible he carried his friend across the room towards the only table still standing, pressed up against the nearest wall, and laid him down. Just as he did with Gaius, he removed Clarus’ Sigil and cloak, pocketing the former and covering the Shield with the latter. One day, when Niflheim had finally been beaten back, he would return with the Prince and his entourage, and together they would give these men the burials they deserved. Placing his hand on Clarus’ he took stock of the room. He would never be able to give the rest of the Councillors the respect their positions demanded, not when the daylight was rapidly fading. His prayers would have to do. 

With no sign of Regis or Titus, and the emergency elevator blown to pieces, it made sense to take that route. Leaving the room, he began clambering up through the rubble, taking care not to catch himself on the Steel beams and pieces of shredded metal. He was no good to anyone dead. There was still a chance, he kept repeating to himself. There was still a chance Titus had manged to get Regis to safety, that they were both alive somewhere and that his magic did not come from Noctis but his father. That hope was dashed when he pulled himself up. Regis lay in the centre of the room, face down in a pool of blood. 

There were no words to describe how his heart shattered. He’d sworn to protect this man with his life, to die long before he and Clarus did but now only he remained. He’d failed his King. 

“Astrals damn it Regis.” He cursed softly, afraid his voice would attract unwanted attention. “Why did you send me away? I could have saved you both, given you a fighting chance. Why didn’t you let me to my damn job?” He dropped to his knees beside him, not at all caring about the blood now staining his trousers. They were easy enough to replace. Just as he had done with Gaius, he carefully turned him onto his back, pointedly ignoring the large gaping wound in the centre of his chest, it was not hard to figure out what had happened. He did notice that Regis’ left hand had been cut in half and a quick pat down of his King’s body revealed that the Ring of the Lucii was also missing. Of course it was.

Cor sat back on his heels, right hand still holding Regis’ arm, providing comfort to a man who no longer needed it, and took stock of his surroundings. Lunafreya was nowhere to be seen, nor was Titus. Their absence combined with the missing ring sparked another glimmer of hope. With any luck they had escaped the city and would be safely on their way to Altissa. His attention returned to Regis. Even knowing the man could no longer feel anything, he squeezed his arm. 

“I will watch over them and do what I can to protect Noctis until the end. I swear it.” He promised as he carefully removed his crown. He might not be able to give the Prince, well…King he supposed, the Ring but he could at least give him something in memory of his father. “I hope you’ve found Aulea, you deserve some peace.” Instead of attempting to remove part of Regis’ clothing Cor instead removed his own jacket, a gift from Regis for his last birthday, and laid it over him. “I’ll see you on the other side my friend.” 

-

Cor stumbled across the twisted remains by pure chance almost four hours later. 

Leaving Insomnia proved to be far more difficult then entering had been. As the sun began to set upon the still burning ruins of Lucis’ heart, the Imperial troops began to emerge, troops which unfortunately included far too many MTs and the occasional daemon. It was far from being an ideal situation. To avoid confrontation, he elected to take a far longer and increasingly dangerous path, passing by several shattered stone statues. He'd first seen the Old Wall when Mors had taken him on an ‘educational trip’ around the city. Quite honestly Cor was certain it had been a case of the King wanting to get out of the Citadel for a few hours, knowing that Cor would quite happily listen as he rattled off everything he knew. He’d cursed Regis for quite a few hours when the then Prince had joked about someone else having to deal with his history nut of a father. He was simultaneously jealous and relieved at having not seen it in action.

General Glauca laid in a pile of debris, pieces of his imposing armour practically burnt away, several feet away from one of the statues and in the centre of an utterly decimated group of buildings. Ever the paranoid man, Cor summoned Kotetsu and slowly approached the Imperial General. Having survived some particularly brutal battles and fought enemies who simply refused to die, he knew never to underestimate a downed foe. As he approached it became clear that half of his helm was also missing and that face…Astrals he knew that face.

“Titus?” He breathed in horror, returning Kotetsu to the ether and stumbled closer in an almost trance-like state. It was unmistakeably Titus. He collapsed beside the body of the man he loved. Reaching one hand out he cautiously touched his cheek, half expecting Titus to open his eyes, but he was cold. Six he was so cold. 

He held back something between a sob and a shout. Before him laid the man he’d given his heart to, the very man who two days prior had finally told him ‘I love you’ and asked Cor to marry him. The man Cor now knew to be the instrument of Insomnia’s, and by extension Lucis’, fall to the Empire. 

Holding back tears, Cor tore his hand away from the cold skin and punched the ground. How could he have not seen it?! He was the Marshal of the Crownsguard for Ifirt’s sake! If anyone should have been able to identify the traitor in their midst it should have been him! 

“You fucking bastard.” Cor hissed under his breath. “Did you ever care? Or was it all just some fucking game?!” Furious he turned to the body, tears falling freely. “Why?! You piece of shit!” Calling Kotetsu to his hand he plunged it into Titus’ chest. Breathing heavily he stared down at the armour beneath him, both hands wrapped around the hilt of his blade as he collapsed in on himself. “I loved you.” He whispered brokenly. “Gods damn it I loved you.” He knelt there for several more moments, sobbing softly, his blade the only thing keeping him from collapsing. When he finally felt strong enough once again, he pulled Kotetsu free and the sound of the blade being pulled from his partner’s body would haunt him until the day he died. “Six above Titus, I loved you so damn much.” He manoeuvred himself to sit beside Titus’s body, looking out over the remains of Insomnia. “I can never forgive you for this. You killed my brothers, our friends. How many thousands of innocent people died because of you? Because you sold your soul.”

The setting sun should have been a cause for concern. In theory if he left now there was still the chance that he could make it to one of the havens, perhaps even Hammerhead if he really pushed himself. However, that required the energy and desire to do so, and if he was quite honest with himself, in that exact moment he had neither. Were it not for Noctis and his retinue needing his guidance, Cor would have been quite content to allow his ‘Immortal’ status to be proved quite wrong. After all, he may not have been the one to aid the Empire directly, but he was certainly just as responsible for the deaths of thousands. 

“Goodbye Glauca.” He said softly, forcing himself to his feet. And without looking back Cor Leonis, Marshal of the Crownsguard, left the still burning Insomnia and the body of the man he once loved behind him. He had failed once, allowing his emotions to cloud his judgement. He would not do so again.

**Author's Note:**

> I need all of the things~ And this ship is perfect for the angst!
> 
> Come join me on tumblr (TheDarkLordMegatron) to scream about it! :D


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